1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a piston engine.
During the functional operation of a piston engine, there are fed into the shaft of the piston engine transverse forces which result from the forces of the piston and which tend to bend the shaft. The shaft and at least two appertaining pivot bearings therefore have to be constructed in a sufficiently robust manner. In spite of a robust construction and mounting of the shaft, bending of the latter occurs because of the elasticity of the material, a fact which leads to inclined positions of the shaft in the region of the bearing sections and that is particularly the case when the bearing sections are at an axial distance from one another. In the case of axial piston engines, in particular, this distance is relatively great and is determined by the axial dimensions of a cylinder block and a drive disc.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
On the subject of the technological background, reference should be made to DE 102 20 610 A1, for example, with regard to a plain pivot bearing in an axial piston engine. Because of deflection and the resulting inclined position of the relevant bearing section in the region of the pivot bearing, an inclined position of the bearing ring in the pivot bearing also automatically occurs, a fact which leads not only to jamming effects in the pivot bearing but also to one-sided loadings with correspondingly high surface pressures (so-called “edge runners”). As a result of this, the bearing surfaces are subjected to higher loads, a fact which leads to higher wear and to a reduction in the working life of the pivot bearings.
In piston engines, it is customary for the pivot bearings to be constituted by plain bearings or rolling bearings. Under these circumstances, it is likewise customary for the relevant bearing section of the shaft to be constituted by a cylindrical bearing section, on which a hollow-cylindrical bearing sleeve is seated with a fit without radial clearance of motion.